Part 11 (1/2)
”Why, auntie!” she exclaimed, ”see how dark it is growing; we've been talking nearly an hour. I must hurry off this minute, or I shall be frightened to death before I get home.”
”Why, sure enough, it's most five o'clock! I'd no idee of it. But ma.s.sy sakes!” cried Aunt Bettie as she went to the window, ”jest come here and look out! Why, you can't walk home in this snow nohow; why, it's up to your ankles! I never see snow gather so quick in my life.”
Marion went to the window, and took a survey of the scene. It certainly did not look very promising. The snow had gathered so rapidly that the roads were covered several inches deep, and darkness appeared to be fast approaching. Marion looked decidedly troubled; but there was no help for it; go she must; for she knew that Miss Stiefbach would be very much worried about her; so putting on as good a face as possible she said:--
”Well, auntie, I haven't a moment to spare; it is really quite dark, and it will take me longer to go than it did to come;” and Marion was hurrying out of the room to get her water-proof when Aunt Bettie caught hold of her:--
”You jest set down in that cheer, and don't you stir out of it till I tell yer you may! Do you s'pose I'm goin' to send you home afoot when it's sich walkin's this? No; not if my name's Sarey Ann Dobbs. You jest wait, and you shall have one sleigh-ride this year if you don't ever get another.”
”Aunt Bettie, what do you mean?” exclaimed Marion.
”You jest wait, and you'll see what I mean.” Auntie went into the outer room, and opening the door shouted at the very top of her lungs in a shrill, high key: ”Jabe! Jabe Dobbs, be you there?” but Jabe did not respond to the maternal call. ”Jabe! Ja-a-a-be!” Then in an undertone, ”Plague take that boy! he's the laziest creetur I ever did see!”
Presently there came a reply from one of the outside sheds in a slow, drawling voice; very much as if the owner of it had heard the first summons, but was not in a great hurry to heed it:--
”H-e-r-e!”
”Wall, come in this minit, and don't keep me standin' here holdin' this door open any longer!”
In a few moments, but in what seemed to Marion almost an eternity, heavy steps were heard on the flagstone, and directly after, a youth of about sixteen made his appearance in the door-way, and slowly knocking the snow off his boots, asked in the same drawling tone:--
”What do yer want?”
”You come inside, and I'll tell yer,” replied his mother.
”Well, yer might o'--” but catching sight of Marion his head went down, and Jabe stood sheepishly twirling his hat in his hands, shuffling from one foot to the other, apparently too bashful for speech.
”Don't stan' there twirlin' yer hat, and lookin' like a great idiot, but jest step round and be spry. Did you get down the big sleigh t'other day when I told yer to?”
Jabe nodded a.s.sent.
”Well, it's a wonder! Now you go out and tackle up Shadrack as quick as ever you can, and hev him round to the door, less'n no time; no s.h.i.+llyshallyin!”
”What shall I put him into arter I get him tackled?” asked the hopeful youth, with a momentary glance at Marion from under his s.h.a.ggy eyebrows.
”Why, put him into the sleigh, to be sure; what'd you s'pose?”
”Well, you didn't tell me, an' I didn't know but p'r'aps she was goin'
to ride him,” replied Jabe, with another glance at Marion, which almost upset her gravity.
”You didn't think any such a thing, and you know you didn't! You're to drive Miss Marion back to school, and you jest hurry out; and don't let the gra.s.s grow under yer feet either!”
”Aint much danger,” replied Jabe, as he shuffled off; ”it's most through sproutin' fur this year, and 'taint quite ready fur next.”
”Now, Miss Marion, did you _ever_ see sech a boy as that?” exclaimed Aunt Bettie in righteous indignation; ”he worries my life out of me!”
”What is the matter with him?” asked Marion, who was intensely amused at the ridiculous-looking object she had just seen, and his comical, awkward ways; ”there doesn't seem to be anything very bad about him.”
”Bad! of course there isn't, but he _is_ so powerful slow! There's no doin' nothin' with him; he's too lazy to work, and he's too lazy to study. But there's one thing, he's honest as he ken be, and I rally do think he does set consid'rable store by me; though he _does_ try my patience awfully.”
”Of course he thinks a great deal of you,” replied Marion; ”he's just at a lazy age now. I dare say he'll get over it, and prove a great comfort to you one of these days.”